Good morning everybody. It is
really great to see you and I'm glad I'm here. Yeah, you better be. Let's take our Bibles. Turning
first to John chapter 8. I wish to read
a lengthy portion of that chapter, but not all of it. All right. Eighth chapter of
the Gospel of John. Let's beg the Lord to come in
our midst and bless what we heard in the Bible class hour and hopefully
bless our poor souls in expounding upon some of the things that
are found in the pages of this book. And a very good one is
right in front of us. And we'll begin in just a moment. Lord, let the words of our hymn enable
us in many respects to know what to pray for. John Newton's hymn
was oh, extremely wonderful. And after we hear the words of
the Bible class, we need some help in coming to this precious
throne of grace all together in Christ your Son. Lord, these
words are familiar to many of us, having heard them read or
read them or studied them silently at home. But Lord, if you do not put your
power, your grace, and your mercy into our reading, preaching,
or teaching, or singing for that matter, it is to no avail. If help does not come from heaven,
we have no other recourse. We bless you. We thank you for
all that you've done for us in the past and for what you will
do for us today and however many days we have left in this world.
We thank you through the precious blood and righteousness of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. John chapter 8 verse 12. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. And Jesus said to a certain centurion,
go your way. And as you have believed, so that it
be done unto you. And his servant was healed in
the very same hour. And when the Lord Jesus was come
into Peter's house, he saw his wife, his wife's mother laid
sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and
the fever left her, and she arose and ministered unto those that
were present. When the evening was come, they
brought unto him many that were possessed with devils, and he
cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were
sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the
prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities and bare our
sicknesses. Now when the Lord Jesus saw great
multitudes about Him, He gave commandment to depart and take
the boat and go to the other side of the lake." My reading does not correspond
to my preaching. I'm sorry. how that can be. Well, whatever is, is. Even though I don't like it. I meant to tell you to hang on.
I know why it didn't fit. It was to come out of John. Here's our text for this morning.
John 8, 40. 2. Verse 42, John chapter 8. Jesus said unto them, If God
were your father, you would love me. For I proceeded forth and
came from God, neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my
speech, even because you cannot hear my word? You are of your
father the devil, and the lust of your father you will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. And when he speaks a lie, he
speaks of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth,
you believe me not." My, what an indictment against every human
being ever born into this world wearing human flesh. Because
I tell you the truth, you believe me not. Which of you convinces
me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do
you not believe me? He that is of God hears God's
words, you therefore hear them not. How come? Because you are not of God. You're not one of God's elect,
and therefore you will not come. Then answered the Jews and said
unto him, Say we not well that you are a Samaritan, that's a
half-breed, and hast a devil or a demon? This is what they
said about our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's see how this unfolds. Jesus
answered, I have not a devil, but I honor my father and you
do dishonor me. And I seek not my own glory,
there is one that seeks and judges. Verily, verily, some people say
that should be rendered, amen, amen. I say unto you, if a man
keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the Jews
unto him, Now we know that you have a devil. Abraham is dead,
and the prophets. And you say, If a man keep my
saying, he shall never taste of death. Are you greater than
our father Abraham, who is dead, and the prophets are dead? Whom
do you make yourself to be? Jesus answered, If I honor myself,
my honor is nothing. It is my father that honors me,
of whom you say that he is your God. Yet you have not known him,
but I know him. And if I should say I know him
not, I'll be a liar just like you. But I know him and keep
his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see my day. And he saw it and was glad. Now can't you just, oh man, to
be there and see the expression on their faces. What a statement. Abraham's been dead a long time. Yet he makes himself known to
our Lord Jesus Christ. Then said the Jews, verse 57,
unto him You're not yet 50 years old,
and yet you say you've seen Abraham. How can you do that? For starters, you have to be
God. That would help, would it not? Then said the Jews unto him,
You are not yet fifty years old, and yet you have seen Abraham.
And Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before
Abraham was, I am." Christ lived before this world
was ever made. Then they took up stones to cast
at Him. But Jesus hid himself. Now look at this hiding, just
a second. He went out of the temple going through the middle
of them. I don't know if he blinded them
or made himself invisible or some other way, but he walked
right through the crowd. They were so mad they could have
torn every limb of his body off of him. Going through the midst
of them and so past Now, go back and look at verse 42 one more time. Jesus said unto them, If God
were your Father, you should love me, for I proceeded forth
and came from God. Neither came I of myself, but
God sent me." God sent me. Now let's see if we can work
on some of these statements, particularly that 42nd verse
and some of the statements that are in our reading passage. If
God were your Father, you would love me. Here's the first category. Our
Lord said, let me look at my notes. I am the
light of the world. I am the way, the truth, and
the life. So I say to you, come unto me. Then we come to the book of John. Again, we're going to have a
lot of them there, I suppose, this morning. John 8, 42, which is what we've already read.
If God were your father, you would love me. For I proceeded
forth and came from God. Neither came I of myself, but
he sent me. Now, if you're still in John
and you want to jump over to chapter 17, we're going to read
John 17, 2 and 3. As you have given Him power over
all flesh, that He should give eternal life, to as many as you
have given Him. Christ in John 10 tells us, It
is impossible for me to lose one of my sheep. Because wherever
He is, I'm going to find Him and bring Him back. And that's
certainly a wonderful analogy to what He does to the souls
of His children whom He's justified and saved and glorified. The next statement here in John
is in the other direction. That would be chapter 3. John 3, 35 and 36. The Father loves the Son and
has given all things into His hand. He that believes on the
Son has everlasting life. If you don't have everlasting
life, you'd unmiss Christ somewhere. You might better seek His face
and see if He'll come find you, because that's the only way we're
going to see Him and know Him and worship Him. Our Lord is spoken of in this same gospel, the words
from heaven. Christ is on earth. This is my
Beloved, in whom I am well pleased. John says, The Father loves the
Son and has given all things into His hands. He that believes
on the Son has everlasting life, and he that believes not the
Son shall not see life. but the wrath of God abides on
Him." A grand and glorious thing to
have God for our Father, not by creation, but by adoption
and regeneration. Galatians 4 talks about our being
adopted into the family of God, and this is a wonderful expression
And it takes more than just being adopted. We must have a new nature
that we've never had before. Whether we're 10 years old or
100 years old, conversion is still the same. We must be regenerated. We must be born again. Without
it, we have no spiritual life whatsoever. We have a makeup,
a put on. And I think back to my earlier
years We were pretty proud of what
we thought we believed when we didn't even know who God was. Isn't that awful? Somebody tell
you your God is not a God? Out of Galatians, a grand and
glorious thing to have God for our Father. Not by creation,
but by adoption and regeneration. And now the scripture that backs
that up. But when the fullness of the
time was come, not a moment early or not a moment too late. When
the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son
made of a woman made under the law. Christ is the only man wearing
human flesh who's ever kept the law of God perfectly. The rest
of us are a million miles south of there. He died to redeem them that were
under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of
His Son into your hearts. crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, you are no more a
servant, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through
Christ." What a wonderful statement. That's in Galatians chapter 4,
verses 4 through 7. Now, my next scripture is... Okay, let's see if I can find
it. I don't have that one on there
that I can see. Alright. Now I want you to turn to 1 Peter chapter 1. And if you'll allow me without us
reading it, I'd like to quote a portion of a verse that we
read in John's gospel earlier, our Lord said to his critics in John 8, if God were your father,
you would love me. You have no other alternative.
If God has made us new in Christ, my, what a wonder how wonderful
Indeed. All right, we come now to the
statement. Did you find 1 Peter? All right. Let me see if I've got it marked. That extra hour must have ruined
me last night. Gosh. All right. 1 Peter chapter 1. Chapter one, how are we to determine our own interest in these wonderful
things that we've covered in just a short period of time?
How can it be? How can it be here? It is defined
in two verses of scripture. 1 Peter 1, verses 3 and 4. How am I to determine whether
I have a saving interest in Christ or not? Nobody can do it for
you. Preachers are bad for lying.
And if they can get new members, they're even worse. And if you've
got a little money, it gets worse still. Heavenly days. I practice that
junk myself. And I hate myself for it. Well,
here are two ways to find out if we have a saving interest
in Christ. First of all, that which relates
to the Lord Jesus Himself. Today is referred to as the Lord's
Day. Some people say Sabbath. That's
Old Testament words. And we ought to leave it behind
like we've left so many other things behind. It is the Lord's
day. Matthew tells us this. Yeah, I see it now. For where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the
midst of them. If we are spiritually, truly
meeting in this place by virtue of the influence of the triune
God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, this is an absolute miracle in
and of itself. where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." So,
in regard to the Lord's Day, I don't know how to put this delicately,
but we ought to think twice before we spend the Lord's Day someplace
other than at least here. You just mull that over, you
do what you think you're supposed to do, and I'll live with the
consequences. Secondly, this that relates to
our Lord Jesus Christ in determining our interest in the triune God can be supported in several places. Here's Jeremiah on the subject. Your words were found and I did
eat them. And your word was unto me the
joy and rejoicing of my heart. For I am called by your name,
O Lord God of hosts. What a statement. This prophet
had been so badly treated, he was getting ready to excuse himself.
And God speaks, and all is well. Now I want you to turn to Psalms.
I want to read to you three verses, not terribly close together,
but not far apart. The first one is Psalm 26. Now
it's not in chronological order because I'm going to go back
to get one. Psalm 26, verse 8. Lord, I have loved the habitation
of your house, and the place where your honor dwells." Where
is that place? Oh, it is the blessed Lord Jesus
Christ. The Father has given such words
as this. Ah, that's wonderful indeed.
Now duck back to chapter 22 in Psalms, and let's pick up verse
30. By the way, I think it might
bear repeating that Psalm 23 has Christ in it from start to
finish. A lot of us have read and heard
that psalm many times. But there's a statement in the
22nd chapter, or in the 22nd psalm, And let me get my verse again.
Verse 30. Verse 30. A seed shall serve him. Now what I was starting to tell
you when I got tangled up in some looking up these references
a little bit ago is that in, oh good heavens, Psalm 23 is a Psalm about Christ. Some people say, Mr. Hawker being
among them, that the entire 22nd Psalm is describing our Lord
Jesus Christ. And here's a statement that comes
out of that chapter in the book of Psalms. And it's verse 30. A seed shall serve him. It shall be accounted to the
Lord for a generation. Among other things, I take that
to mean that not a single generation can leave this earth without
our Lord at least saving a few or some or many, whatever His
purpose and will is. I don't wish to change that at
all. But it is amazing that this statement
is so plain and so clear. And there are other statements
in this same psalm that relate to the agony and death of our
Lord Jesus, but not very great a presence, but some. Alright? Psalm 106. Psalm 106 verse 4, Blessed are they that keep judgment,
and he that does righteousness at all times. Now I can't figure
that to be anybody but our precious Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe you
get tired of hearing that, but you ought not to. If we truly
loved him, we would not. And that's the next thing we
come to. If I love Christ, I love everything that is his. His people, his bride, his church. The list is almost endless. So
let's consider for just a moment how our attachment to other objects
affects us. If I love someone or something,
we love to think of it. Can I love Christ and not have
Him much in my thoughts? Wow. I'm sure I do it every day. Forget to see him. Or perhaps even to think of him.
Can I love Christ and not have him much in my thoughts? Can
I often speak of it? In Matthew 12, 34, O generation
of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For
out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Can I love
Christ and not have him much in what I say, in my speech? If I love a friend, I'll desire
nearest to that friend and find communion with him. How can I
love Christ unless I mourn His absence and long after His communion
with Him? Now, I've got no more pages up
here hid anywhere. So, I want us to finish up. Now, if you'll turn to 1 Peter
Chapter 2. 1 Peter 2, verse 7, "...unto you therefore which
believe, he that is Christ is precious. But unto them which
be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the
same is made the head of the corner." and a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word,
being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed." Now
there's only one foundation to the living Church of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Dead people don't need this,
but sinners need it. Perfect people don't need it,
but ungodly sinners do. Christ is our rock. Did I read
you verse 7? Thank you very much. Then we
come next to other things that are precious. God's sovereignty. is precious
in creation, in providence, as well as grace. And God's fourfold
glory is precious when thinking of Christ in regard to these
terms. His redemption. There's only
one Redeemer. He redeemed everybody He intended
to over 2,000 years ago. For that matter, He did it in
ETERNITY when He said, Father, I will. And they committed themselves
in that covenant of grace that is so wonderful, so wonderful,
so wonderful. How could we be in a church for
so many years and not even know anything about a covenant? How do I know that this rock
That is, Christ is my rock. Secondly, in regard to that fourfold
glory being precious, the second thing is God's electing grace
in Christ. Well, don't we have to choose
Him? Well, 1 John 4, 19 tells you you do. Only problem is we
love Him because He first loved us. Now, is it still this way that
the first person in line, you know, goes before all the rest
of them in that line? Well, the Lord Jesus, in regard
to grace, in regard to our sin, in regard to salvation, in regard
to the glory of God, our Lord Jesus Christ is the head of that
line. He said, these are mine. And he
ushers them right into glory. He is electing grace. Thirdly,
he is fetching grace. I've got to show you this. I
can do it by heart unless I get a brain spasm or something. Let's see, 2 Samuel. I have to think more than I used
to and sometimes it's faulty. I think it's 2 Samuel. It's when
David. It seems like it was chapter
2 Samuel 9. All right, chapter 9, 2 Samuel
chapter 9. David is king, though it is being
contested repeatedly. But David, after his kingdom
is fairly secure, he asks some of his servants if there were
any relatives left that were the offspring of the guy that
God kicked out and killed, I forget his name, but you can find it
by going back just a little bit from this. Oh, it was Saul, Paul,
no. King Saul, okay, gosh. Let me read you this. Verse 4, Ah, that's a wonderful word,
fetched. You know what that means. You've
thrown a stick for a dog to bring back to you. Fetched him out of the house
of Maker, the son of Amiel from Lodabar. Now when Mephibosheth,
the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David,
he fell on his face and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold your
servant. And David said unto him, Fear
not, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's
sake. Jonathan is the father of Mephibosheth,
and will restore thee all the land of Saul your father and
you shall eat bread at my table continually." And here's the
response. Here's Mr. Mephibosheth. And he bowed himself and said,
what is your servant that you should look upon such a dead
dog as I am? And the king called to Ziba Saul's servant and said unto
him, I've given unto him your former master's son, all that
pertain to Saul and to all his house. You therefore and your
sons and your servants shall till the land for him and you
shall bring in the fruits that your master's son may have food
and that the master's son to eat But Mephibosheth, your master's
son, shall eat bread always at my table." Now that's what you
call a promotion. That's going from the bottom
all the way to the top. Just one decree by King David
and it was done. Just absolutely done. Okay, Mr. Rogers.